Open Textbooks @ UQ Catalogue

This book is a multidisciplinary introduction to the social sciences with an applied approach to the study of human society. This book examines diverse aspects of social life from multiple perspectives, incorporating analytical and methodological insights in a wide range of social science disciplines, including sociology, anthropology, political science, public policy, psychology and human geography. Through real cases of contemporary issues and social problems, students will explore a wide range of topics that shape both Australia and the world today – the changing nature of work and education, the environment and health, community and development. Using a blend of text, video, and online materials, students will learn the skills for independent study and collaborative investigation. Upon the successful completion of this book, students will have gained critical knowledge on Australian and global social issues, relevant policies, and possible solutions.

This book presents activities and exercises to consolidate your understanding of topics in factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple regression.

“Introduction to Financial Management: A Contemporary Approach” is a comprehensive open-source textbook designed to provide students and professionals with a solid foundation in financial management. This textbook is structured into four key parts, each addressing essential aspects of financial management and modern practices.

What sets this textbook apart from traditional finance texts are two key innovations. First, it embraces a broader perspective beyond the traditional shareholder primacy view, acknowledging the significance of non-financial factors in decision-making. Second, it is designed to be accessible, engaging, and practical, featuring interactive activities and video content.

These features make “Introduction to Financial Management: A Contemporary Approach” an invaluable resource for anyone looking to understand the intricacies of financial management in today’s dynamic economic environment.

Part 1: Foundations

• Chapter 1: What is Financial Management – Introduces the fundamental concepts and objectives of financial management in today’s world, laying the groundwork for the entire textbook.
• Chapter 2: Five Principles of Finance – Explores the core principles guiding financial decision-making, including the time value of money, risk-return trade-off, and market efficiency.

Part 2: Valuation and Capital Budgeting

• Chapter 3: Time Value of Money (Part 1) – Covers the essential concept of the time value of money, focusing on calculations related to single cash flows.
• Chapter 4: Time Value of Money (Part 2) – Covers the essential concept of the time value of money, focusing on calculations related to multiple cash flows.
• Chapter 5: Valuing Debt – Examines methods for assessing the value of bonds and other debt instruments.
• Chapter 6: Valuing Shares – Provides insights into equity valuation, including dividend discount models and price/earnings ratios.
• Chapter 7: Capital Budgeting Methods – Reviews various capital budgeting techniques such as Net Present Value, payback period, and internal rate of return (IRR)
• Chapter 8: NPV – Relevant Cash Flows – Focuses on identifying and estimating the relevant cash flows for Net Present Value (NPV) calculations.
• Chapter 9: NPV – Modelling and Analysis – Covers advanced NPV modelling techniques to evaluate investment projects more accurately.

Part 3: Risk and Return

• Chapter 10: Risk and Return – Explains the relationship between risk and return, including portfolio theory and the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM).
• Chapter 11: Cost of Capital – Explores methods to determine a company’s cost of capital, incorporating both debt and equity financing.

Part 4: Sustainable Finance

• Chapter 12: Corporate Sustainability & Sustainable Finance – Investigates the growing field of sustainable finance, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and how businesses can integrate sustainability into their financial strategies.

By blending theoretical foundations with practical applications, this textbook offers a well-rounded approach to financial management, making it an essential tool for learning and teaching in today’s ever-evolving financial landscape.

This guide is for students at The University of Queensland studying law. It covers legal research, the role secondary sources plays, case law, the parliamentary process and finding legislation.

The Language of Relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples - Introductory Guide was created to support the UQ community to build stronger relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples across the University. The Language of Relationships Guide aims to inform students and staff of appropriate language and provide tools for non-Indigenous peoples in the context of formal, academic communication and everyday conversations that will build and enhance those relationships.

"Quality in Healthcare: Assessing What We Do" is an open educational resource specifically designed to enhance the knowledge of undergraduate nursing and midwifery students in research, clinical improvement, and clinical audit processes. Recognising the pivotal role nurses and midwives play in elevating the quality of care provided to patients, women, and families, this textbook offers a foundational understanding that bridges theory with practical application.

This book equips students with the skills to apply research to clinical practice, comprehend the ethical principles associated with research, and develop frameworks for formulating research questions. Additionally, it guides students in quality care enhancement and the analysis of findings from quality improvement activities.

Serving as a comprehensive companion, "Quality in Healthcare: Assessing What We Do" supports students in completing quality improvement and clinical audit processes. The inclusion of interactive learning activities fosters an appreciation for the significant contributions nurses and midwives can make to advancing healthcare quality.

Key Features:

• Foundational Knowledge: Build a solid understanding of research and its application to clinical practice.
• Ethical Principles: Learn the ethical considerations essential to conducting research.Practical Frameworks: Develop research questions and improve quality care through practical frameworks.
• Interactive Learning: Engage with interactive activities that reinforce learning and practical application.
• Quality Improvement: Analyse findings from quality improvement initiatives to enhance clinical practice.

This book provides detailed foundational tools to assess and evaluate the costs and benefits associated with public or private decision making through a cost-benefit analysis (CBA). This book is targeted at students with preliminary foundations in economics. The content and activities have been developed to support learning in ECON2101 Cost Benefit Analysis offered as a course at UQ.

Are you interested in the field of reinforcement learning? This cutting-edge area has driven numerous high-profile breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, including AlphaFold, which revolutionized protein structure prediction, and AlphaZero, which mastered complex games like chess and Go from scratch. It has been pivotal in fine-tuning large language models. To grasp the current advancements in this rapidly evolving domain, it's essential to build a solid foundation. 'Mastering Reinforcement Learning’ guides readers from the fundamental concepts to the latest techniques, seamlessly blending theory, practice, and code. This book is designed for both beginners and those with some experience in reinforcement learning who wish to elevate their skills and apply them to real-world scenarios.

‘What an amazing resource for students. The mixture of accessible and informative text, case studies, interactive activities, and more make this such an engaging read.’  Professor Kelly Fielding, University of Queensland

‘This book is an excellent resource for students, practitioners, and community organisations among others, which provides a comprehensive overview and deeper insights situating public interest communication in society.’ Assistant Professor Michele Clark, Bond University

‘Students will find Johnston and Gulliver’s book an excellent introduction to the theoretical debates around the concept of the ‘public interest’, an idea which is of central importance in ethics, democratic government, the law, and the notion of a ‘free press’.’ Dr Ian Somerville, University of Leicester

‘This is a fabulous introduction to key concepts in public interest communication. It untangles the notion of ‘publics’ and shows how theories of the public interest, the public sphere, and discourse arenas, among others, intersect with communication practice.’  Dr Skye Doherty, University of Queensland

‘This book shines a spotlight on the strategic value and purpose of communication by showing its centrality to finding solutions. While addressing action as well as theory, it goes beyond the usual tactical-level discussion to focus on the context in which communication contributes to society.’ Dr Leanne Glenny, University of South Australia

JUNTXS is an open access educational resource which can be used in conjunction with a variety of approaches to support beginning learners of Spanish. This media-rich learning resource is designed to guide learners in their Spanish language learning journey through a critical and intercultural lens and to provide regular opportunities to explore, practise and improve their ability to read, speak, and understand this language as it is used across the Spanish-speaking world.